Instagram Is Testing Locked Reels With Secret Code: What It Means

Reels are getting a new avatar on Instagram and we could see it roll out for everyone in the coming months. Instagram has started testing locked reels which needs a secret code to unlock and reveal. The platform is clearly targeting features like these to creators and brands who have amplified their reach among their fans via channels and profile. 

Locked Reels On Instagram: What It Will Do 

The feature is being tested for now, and the folks at TechCrunch have reached out to the company for more details but it seems the public release should happen in the next few months, if everything goes right. 

Using secret code is an exciting way to keep people engaged on the platform and Instagram clearly sees its advertisers (brands) cater to their audience with fun games that have a ‘reveal’ Reels with the code that only select people get to access. 

For the normal Instagram users, they can simply create Reels for a select group of friends and let them share it using the code. Having said that, you will also have people who are not very keen on solving puzzles for codes to just watch a Reel, so Instagram will have to find the right balance to make this upcoming feature work for everyone. 

The new feature on Instagram will work for teens but they cannot go live on the platform anymore. Instagram users under 16 won’t be able to livestream or unblur nudity in direct messages they’ve received without parental approval, owner Meta Platforms said Tuesday as it widened its safety measures for teenagers.

Meta launched its teen account program for Instagram in September to give parents more options to supervise their children’s online activity amid a growing backlash against how social media affects the lives of young people.

The latest changes will roll out first to users in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, before going out to global users in the following months.

The social media company also said it was extending safeguards for users under 18 to Facebook and Messenger.